Virginia Geese Removal Techniques

There are four techniques that can be effective in removing resident Canada geese, habitat modification, physical removal, repellants, and harassment. A permit through U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services is needed in order for anybody to remove Canada geese because they are still considered a migratory bird. Federal law prohibits individuals from possessing, transporting or handling migratory birds without a permit. The most common technique used in physically removing geese is a round-up. Round-ups are typically done in June or July when the geese are in their summer molt. At this time the geese cannot fly and will congregate in large numbers close to water to easily escape danger. Their inability to fly makes capture into funnel like traps easy. The second and our most common method is repellants or harassment. Harassment is the first method that must be tried before actual physical removal can be used. There are a number of ways to harass geese, but the most effective is the repellant FlightControl® PLUS. Habitat modification can be very effective if the end result makes the areas that the geese reside in less desirable to them for food and nesting. For more information or a consultation on resident Canada goose removal, please Contact Us so that we can give you the information you need that best fits your problem.

Unnecessary Labor for cleaning, sweeping, power washing and other means of removal of feces from commercial properties and golf courses

Turf Repair of overgrazed turf on golf courses, commercial properties, and residential properties, including repair due to unnecessary soil erosion

Lost Revenue from reduction in property value and/or rent derived from rented properties due to unsightliness and reduction of curb appeal

Reduce potential lawsuit liability from:

Accidental contamination to medical and laboratory facilities, food production facilities and restaurants, or other "sterile" industrial or research sites

Slipping on feces

Injuries from aggressive goose behavior while defending nests

Injuries and property damage from automobile and airplane strike hazards

Protect health of children and adults:

By removing feces which can create conditions that allow diseases, viruses, bacterial infections and parasites

Restore recreational areas which have been rendered less desirable or unusable:

Common areas

Walking paths

Theme park grounds

Corporate picnic areas

Golf Courses

"To be effective, a chemical repellent must affect the way that the bird perceives the crop."

-Michael L. Avery, National Wildlife Research Center, Gainesville, FL

FlightControl® PLUS works in two ways

Anti-feedant (consequence): Geese experience a temporary but very effective digestive irritation, usually within 20 minutes, when they eat turf treated with FlightControl® PLUS.

Visual Warning (threat): Geese have four retinal cones (unlike humans, who have three) and have the unique ability to recognize FlightControl® PLUS in the ultraviolet light spectrum in addition to the visible light spectrum in which humans see. The appearance of turf treated with FlightControl® PLUS is unnatural and, once conditioned to the digestive reaction, the visual signal of the treated turf provides a warning to the geese not to eat the turf.
Studies have shown that birds will refuse to eat food treated with the active ingredient in FlightControl® PLUS once they are conditioned.

What will the geese do after I treat my turf with FlightControl® PLUS?

Geese will sample the area. They may react by shaking their heads, drinking water, pecking at their bellies and rubbing their necks. (20 minutes for response time).

As the geese sample, the conditioning process begins.

Geese will not die as a result of eating FlightControl® PLUS.

They may feed several times, drinking in between, while being conditioned to respond.

Geese will learn that a treated area is not a good place to feed.

Geese have no choice but to find an alternative food source. This conditioning usually takes one to two days.

New droppings should decrease, and existing droppings will continue to age if allowed to remain in the drop zone turf, turning white with age.

Virginia Geese Damage & Damaged Areas

Urban parks, residential landscapes, and golf courses offer the ideal habitat for the geese to reside. The droppings from the geese become a problem when several geese are residing for a long period of time. The droppings make use of the parks, yards, and golf courses less desirable to the individuals that use them. The droppings are unsightly and will gather on the shoes of the individuals walking around these areas.

Health Concerns

While there is considerable debate over the health threat of resident Canada geese, as to the disease to human contact with goose droppings, it would be expected to increase with increased goose populations.

Other Information About Geese In Virginia

Your Wildlife Professionals, Inc. provides geese removal on residential and commercial properties in Virginia. It is not always important to know everything about geese, but often clients need to know other information about geese in Virginia. Below is some additional information about geese, such as geese habitat, where do geese live, home range of a geese, geese food, geese habits, average life span of geese, and geese health concerns that you may want to know. If you live in Alexandria, Arlington, Bedford, Blacksburg, Bristol, Charlottesville, Covington, Chesapeake, Danville, Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Hampton, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Lynchburg, Loudon, Manassas, Martinsville, Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond, Roanoke, Smith Mountain Lake, Staunton, Virginia Beach, Waynesboro, Williamsburg, Winchester, Wytheville, or Yorktown Virginia and would like to know more about geese, please give us a call.

Virginia Resident Geese Removal & Control Services

Resident geese have established local, non-migratory populations throughout Virginia. At one time geese were just a frequent visitor during the winter in their migratory route. Now they have taken up permanent residence in local lakes and ponds, parks, and golf courses. These local geese populations can damage and destroy agricultural crops and pose social problems in urban areas by nesting, feeding and defecating in the landscapes and lawns. Their droppings become unacceptable to people that frequent local parks and golf courses. There is a constant debate over the health issues with these droppings, in that there is not a direct link to any disease that can be contracted directly from them, but may lead to disease or parasite growth in the water where people swim. The droppings are unsightly and will gather on the shoes of the individuals walking around the parks or golf course greens. The defensive nature of nesting geese poses a threat to people that may get to close. The geese will often defend their nest by chasing anybody away that may threaten it. Some local lakes, parks, and golf courses have posted bans with fines on feeding the resident geese to help prevent people from being discouraged from using them.

Your Wildlife Professional will design a geese control or removal program that best fits your needs and most importantly your budget. Understanding a geese biology or behavioral patterns, size, and reproductive rates is the most important factor in determining the proper bird control product to use. Some bird control products are species-specific, while others can deter a range of species. FlightControl® PLUS is our go to product that will deter geese, without having to physical remove the geese. Resident geese are protected in Virginia and by the federal government, which means that we cannot start your geese management program during the nesting period or while flightless young are on your property.

Other Goose Removal Options

There are three other options that can be effective in removing resident Canada geese, habitat modification, physical removal, and harassment. A permit through U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services is needed in order for anybody to remove Canada geese because they are still considered a migratory bird. Federal law prohibits individuals from possessing, transporting or handling migratory birds without a permit. The most common technique used in physically removing geese is a round-up. Round-ups are typically performed in June or July when the geese are in their summer molt. At this time the geese cannot fly and will congregate in large numbers close to water to easily escape danger. Their inability to fly makes capture into funnel like traps easy. The second method is harassment. Harassment is the first method that must be tried before actual physical removal can be used. There are a number of ways to harass geese, but the most effective is a trained dog that patrols the area and that will chase the geese away. Habitat modification can be very effective if the end result makes the areas that the geese reside in less desirable to them for food and nesting.